Mahad al Haram Mekka and Medina, KSA : Syed Mohd. Saleh Uddin

Our aircraft Boeing-747 was rushing towards Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Except the air and cabin crews on board all were in Ehram uniform. It included two pieces totally unstitched white cloths. One is worn upper portion of the body and rest one is worn lower portion of the body. To bury a Muslim death such white uniform is used also.

Passengers were time to time saying loudly “LABBAYKA ALLAHUMA LABBAYKA……………”

/O ALLAH I AM PRESENT……….

It means reciting ‘TALBIA’ which is a ritual of the hajj. In such days if one closes his eyes and tries to feel about hajj pilgrims a clear view will appear that aircrafts from all directions are moving towards Mekka that are full of pilgrims in same uniform. All of them are reciting ‘TALBIA’. Many are weeping or sobbing. Tears are following down through the cheeks of many. Same scenarios will be visible in the Jeddah airport, in the bus towards Mekka and finally while moving from Hotel for the first Omrah that include Tawaf around Khana e Kaba and Saiwee between Safa and Marwa ie two hills where Hajera(PBUH) the mother of Prophet Ismail ran 7 times in search of water to save thirsty child Ismail and finally Allah presented her Jam Jam well which till date is alive and supplying fresh drinking waters to pilgrims what are carried worldwide by them to drink. It’s a miracle. Muslims believe, it also gives some nutrition while one is hungry.

When ‘KHANA E KABA’ will be visible saying ‘TALBIA’ will have to be stopped. It’s the ritual. Most probably philosopher poet Allama Iqbal in such condition written ‘KABA TU DEKH LIA, KABA KA KABA TU DEKHO’(YOU HAVE SEEN THE KABA, NOW YOU SHOULD SEE THE KABA/OWNER OF THE KABA). Actually Allah ordered Muslims to visit Khana e Kaba not to see that but to obey him. So, Muslims go there and do Tawaf and Saiwee when they urge to Allah but not to his said Home. It is quite symbolic. He never dwells there. During the Tawaf and Saiwee devotees walk and express everything to creator, repent for sins, ask for the best for themselves and everybody.

As a matter of fact Hajj rituals are not that easy. But these are easier to the young men and women. I am astonished when I saw Arab children wearing Ehram uniform were more energetic than their parents. However, these were very interesting events for children but for their parents those hard rituals are to please omnipotent Allah certainly. Conscious pilgrims try to search Allah following all its ritual properly. They do Tawaf and Saiwee together whereas in the other MUSLIM RITUALS men and women are not permitted to do side by side. They stay together in the field of Arafa in 9th Jilhajj. They stay there in the tents from sun rise to sunset. Then after sunset they reach Mujdalefa where they spent the night under the open sky in the plain, in the slopes of the hills, over the ridges of the hills and even besides the streets. We arranged our night beds by the side of a road. Over us there were a Kubri (over bridge) where there were pilgrims. Men, women, children all took their shelter for the night where they got vacant place. It is 10th of Jilhajj when all the pilgrims go to Mina and stay there till 12th Jilhajj or may stay till the next day. From there on set (written in Fiqh) conditions pilgrims go to throw pebbles till 12th or 13th Jilhajj. Then all return to Mekka and do Tawaf e beda. However outlines are given here what each pilgrims are doing from the first hajj what our last Prophet (PBUH) became tradition. Pilgrims must remember hajj is not mere a tradition rather a path to find Allah. So, they must be sincere to follow the ritual properly utilize the time to please Allah leaving back biting, querling, fighting each other, unnecessary marketing, blaming and criticizing Muallim’s members etc. Response to Allah’s call must be in the way of Allah who teaches us to be generous hearted. Pilgrims must remember that they are there to do some pains taking rituals for their salvation and that must be done in proper prescribed way. All the prohibited and heinous activities must be avoided.

Here my aim is not to express the rituals of Hajj but my aim is to tell about Mahad al Haram and activities of Mahad al Haram. While in Mekka I had enough time to visit all the floors of the Grand Mosque situated around Khana e Kaba. In the hajj time prayer halls are too busy. But after the hajj fewer pilgrims come to do Omra throughout the year. So, Saudi Government decided to utilize prayer halls for education purposes. Government established Mahad al Haram in both the Harams(Haramyn) ie the grand mosque of Mekka around Baitullah and Mosque of the prophet(PBUH) in Medina. I was lucky enough to sit in both Mahad’s few classes. Their media of teaching is Arabic. So, I didn’t understand their lectures.

I searched someone who could understand me. In the Mahad of Mekka I saw many Rohinga Bangali students. But present generation of Rohinga Bengali there mostly became Arabic speaking.

Faisal Shams a Jama (University) student came forward to help me. He failed to communicate with me in Bengali. Our communication was in Urdu. They speak better Urdu because they get many Urdu speaking pupils from India and Pakistan with whom they communicate.

From him I came to know in the Mahad in Mekka total more than 125 Bengali (probably Rohinga Bangali) students are studying in different level. In Jama level about 30 Bengali students are studying. They learn here Kitab, Sunnah, Sharia, Ulomul Quran etc. Names of the classes are different. As in Sharia classes Ula Ali, Samia Ali, Salasa Ali, Raba Ali etc. In under graduate level classes are Ula Mutwasser, Samia Mutawasser, Salasa Mutwasser and in lower class three classes are named as Ula Sanawi, Sania Sanawi and Salasa Sanawi. He further added in Jama class young students of 20 to 25 years old are eligible to take admission. In under graduate level students of 15 to 20 years and in lower level students of 12 to 16 years can take admission.

Ustads(teachers) of Mahad al Harams are highly educated. Among them in Mekka Mahad few are as follows:

Dr. Abdur Rahman Ahadal

Dr. Abdul Wahab Risini

Dr. Abdul Hafiz al Gazi

Dr. Abdur Rahman al Sehri

Dr. Zibril Mega

Names of few ustads(teachers) in Mahad al Haram in Medina are as follows:

Dr. Allama Mosharraf Abdullah Musharraf

Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Horratani

Dr. Sheikh Azim Ahmed

Dr. A. Zafar

Dr. Abdul Moin Ekram

In the Mahad al Haram in Medina a student of second year named Hamza M. Dost Mohammad helped me giving its information. He is from Multan, Pakistan. I could talk to an Urdu speaking Ustad named Abdur Rahman. He teaches in the Riasatul Haram. Here students will become Hafez e Quran. Once before Asar prayer I saw hundreds of children (Arab, Black immigrants, Rohinga Immigrants and may be children of other immigrants) are learning their lessons. From these students many will get chance to study in any of the Mahad al Haram.

I came to know Mahad is recognized by Saudi Government as a University. It’s passed out Jama students may get job in Saui Arabia or any other Arab countries. Now they are serving in the various mosques of Saudi Arabia. I saw them in Khaledia mosque giving hajj training. Time to time there were arrangement to translate lectures of Mahad’s teachers in different language like Vahasa Indonesia, Urdu, Bengali etc. Translators might also be Mahad’s students.

I believe in course of time Mahad will become a famous University for the Muslim world. Students from the home and abroad will go there for higher education. This University will give pure knowledge about Malik/ Owner of the Kaba (Kaba ka Kaba). Grand mosque around Kaba and Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) will become very busy campus for international students who will do research to know more about the creator Allah and his creations. May Allah bless us all!